


after living

by ravenshadow



Category: Sengoku Basara
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-19
Updated: 2014-08-19
Packaged: 2018-02-13 21:59:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2166693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ravenshadow/pseuds/ravenshadow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After surviving his demons...</p>
            </blockquote>





	after living

From the moment his feet carried him into the room, the overwhelming emptiness filled Katsuie’s mind. The imposing man standing before him, the familiar hardened sneer, the contemptuous and dismissive words, they cut through him, pinning his body into place more adequately than any bonds. He froze there, wide eyes brimming with tears as an age-old fear of this man, this monster standing before him stripped from him the determination that had carried him so far and through so many battles.

His hands weakened as they trembled on the grip of his naginata, his heart pounding so hard that it stole his breath and left him shaking.

A warm, rough voice called him back, brought him home, and a glance at Masamune calmed him. His words grounded him and helped bring the trembling under control. It reminded him of his determination and his purpose. The man standing beside him, smiling at him, reminded him who he was.

Katsuie. Shibata Katsuie.

His grip tightened on his weapon and he launched himself forward. The world shrank down in that instant. His heart, mind, and body focused exclusively on destroying the man who had not even seen fit to kill him before. He lost himself in the sensations and power of the movements, and he found himself lost in an almost meditative trance. 

It was stunning, a shock of surprise that was soul deep, when he buried his naginata’s blade into the warlord’s heart. The feel of impact caught him off guard, jarring his mind as much as his body and he froze, eyes wide again, staring as the man he had hated and served for so long died before him. 

He was alive.

Numbness filled him, and Masamune voice could only catch his attention this time, and draw his gaze up to his face. He followed the movements of his lips, the creak of his armor. It felt like the world was muted and excruciatingly present. The man smiled and turned to leave, and he followed. He kept his eyes on the backs of the men before him, some vague part of his mind calling up Masamune’s retainer’s name – Kojuro.

He remembered little of the trip back through the castle. He could not recall later how they made it back to their camp. He did not know if they were attacked again or if their entrance into the keep had destroyed all of those who had defended it. He kept his gaze focused on the two men’s backs. They were the only things that kept him moving forward.

His awareness remained hazy until a strong arm slid around his waist. He glanced up, dazed to find Masamune supporting him, a tent obscuring the sky. He did not even remember entering it. More hands found him. _Kojuro’s_ , he thought vaguely as they began to strip his armor from him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he noted the tenderness of their touch and the warm strength of Masamune’s arm around him. 

He did not fight, or struggle, he relaxed into the gentle ministrations of the men letting the numbness buzz through him. He was empty and floating. The weight that had kept him anchored with fear and pain had been stripped away with Nobunaga’s death. The fact that he had been the one to kill the man still seemed like a distant dream, something he could not quite process or believe. 

The men shifted, and he found himself pulled back against a warm broad chest, strong arms sliding around his waist. He opened his eyes, staring blankly and confused for a while as Masamune began to remove his own armor. If the men spoke to one another he could only vaguely hear it and could barely understand the words. He watched as the man stripped clothing away to reveal a bare chest covered with a warrior’s scars, and then he moved to lounge on a cot piled with pillows.

The strong arms supporting Katsuie moved him then, guiding him forward and into the lap of the other man. He settled easily into the curve of Masamune’s body, and it was only then that he realized that Kojuro, who had held him, had also removed his armor. A hand slid over his hair, soothingly, and the young man went limp against the Date’s chest, his ear resting against his sternum. 

The cot creaked as Kojuro settled his weight onto it beside them, sliding his arm around his waist. He could hear them speaking quietly together, but he did not even try to listen to their words. He listened instead to the soft rasp of Masamune’s breathing; the strong solid beat of his heart beneath his ear. His voice vibrated through his chest in a comforting way. 

He was Shibata Katsuei, and he was alive. 

The strength of the Date’s heartbeat and the solid warmth of the arms holding him close reminded him that there were those in this world who were glad of that and wanted him to continue to live. Slowly, the numbness faded into a contented drowse as his exhausted body began to relax into the comfort of the two older men.


End file.
